Rerum NovarumLéon Léon XIII
Rerum Novarum
by Léon Léon XIII · first published 2015
26mentions
5recommended by
24HN commenters
2016–2026first – last mentioned
21% recommend75% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Papal encyclical of 1891 addressing capital and labor. It sets out views on worker dignity and economic inequality, and is frequently given as a starting point for Catholic social teaching.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I find it's good to re-read Rerum Novarum[1] (1891) and Centesimus Annus[2] (1991), now and again: [1] http://w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documen... [2] http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/doc...
on “Economic Inequality” ↗"in the enormous fortunes of some few individuals, and the utter poverty of the masses". the wisdom of Pope Leo XIII Rerum Novarum appears as relevant today as it was in 1891: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rerum_novarum
on “Address of Pope Leo XIV to the College of Cardinals” ↗metaphysics, for a start. Rerum Novarum is fascinating reading. They're nonexclusive options, though: dorothy day, for example, was comfortable in both camps (as much as she was comfortable in a camp at all)
on “The Moral Economy of the Shire” ↗…autonomous weapons at UN debate on AI".) For weightier, more timeless writings that address the issues of the current day, but are meant to be read indefinitely, the Papal Encyclicals[2] are the look. Rerum Novarum is a good one to start with. I'd be skeptical of any persuasive writings by lay-persons (i.e. not priests or nuns). It's like the difference between a lawyer's opinion and a judge's ruling. They can…
on “Software CEO to Catholic panel: AI is more mass stupidity than mass unemployment” ↗…learning/distillation, reinforcement learning/reward hacking, alignment through human feedback. His The Human Use of Human beings and Cybernetics are extremely good too and have more of a mash of the themes between Rerum Novarum and Magnifca Humanitas, and more near-term automation.
on “Magnifica Humanitas (Encyclical Letter)” ↗The intentional parallels are hard to miss: - Pope Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum; current Pope Leo XIV chose his name as an explicit gesture to his nominative predecessor - This encyclical is a return to the earlier tradition of latin names (Magnifica Humanitas) for encyclicals,…
on “Anthropic co-founder to present AI encyclical alongside Pope Leo XIV” ↗…researched popes' policies and statements toward the poor some years back, and he really had no peer going back centuries. Partial exception in the late 1900s, under Leo XIII (1878--1903), in the encyclical Rerum novarum.
on “Pope Francis has died” ↗This is the beginning of perhaps the most famous of Leo XIII.'s many encyclicals, entitled "Rerum novarum" from 1891. To my knowledge it is the first of many papal encyclicals on social issues. It thus marks an important point in church history (and beyond that in the history of ideas in general). For further…
on “First American pope elected and will be known as Pope Leo XIV” ↗…through, a Copernican revolution really -- artificial intelligence, robotics, human relationships," the prelate said. "He was inspired by Leo XIII, who in the midst of the Industrial Revolution wrote 'Rerum Novarum,' launching an important dialogue between the church and the modern world." The new pope believes the church has a vital role to play in today's moment of "perplexity," Cardinal Chomalí added. "There…
on “Pope concerned of "artificial intelligence, robotics, human relationships"” ↗…containing it: > Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial…
on “Address of Pope Leo XIV to the College of Cardinals” ↗…true he said very little, and it will take more time for him to elaborate on a position. I guess you guys hallucinate more than a bad AI. As an example, I saw a commentary that the prior Pope Leo's Rerum novarum was not really that influential until a few decades after it was written. This stuff happens on long timescales.
on “Address of Pope Leo XIV to the College of Cardinals” ↗…discussed Gary Marcus a few hours ago) that the intention behind the chosen name "Leo" is to state a continuity with Leo XIII, seemingly as times are seen akin to those which solicited the open letter "Rerum novarum", "on the condition of the working classes ... to define the relative rights and mutual duties of the rich and of the poor, of capital and of labor ... [as] the spirit of revolutionary change [... has]…
on “Rerum Novarum ("The thirst for innovation") (1891)” ↗…only one. The current Pope Leo XIV explicitly named himself after the the previous Leo, Pope Leo XIII, who was pope during the Industrial Revolution (1878-1903) and issued the influential Encyclical Rerum novarum (Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor) in response to the upheaval. “Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial…
on “The Future of Everything Is Lies, I Guess” ↗Rerum Novarum was written by Leo XIII. When Robert Prevost took as his papal name Leo XIV, it was a clear signal of priorities, at least to those who are educated in church history and teaching. (There aren’t many…
on “The Vatican's Website in Latin” ↗Indeed, the Industrial Revolution was the topic of a previous encyclical, which inspired this one. RERUM NOVARUM ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON CAPITAL AND LABOR http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/docume...
on “Magnifica Humanitas (Encyclical Letter)” ↗